Fire alarm assembly



ug. 8, 1961 A. J. ALLEN ETAL FIRE ALARM ASSEMBLY Filed June 19, 1959 2,995,629 FIRE ALARM ASSEMBLY Alva J. Allen, 118 High St., West Portsmouth, Ohio, and William M. Dodson, R0. Box 134, Minford, Ghio Filed June 19, 1959, Ser. N 821,562 11 Claims. (Cl. 179-'5) This invention relates to a fire alarm assembly. The invention relates more particularly to a fire alarm assembly which is operated in connection with a telephone system. The invention relates more particularly to a fire alarm assembly for use by a volunteer fire department in which the fire engine station or fire alarm station is unattended.

Thus, an object of this invention is to provide a fire alarm assembly for use with an unattended fire station.

Another object of this invention is to provide means by which fa telephone in a fire station can, in effect, be answered by any one of a group of firemen from any telephone in the community.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a system in which only the firemen associated with the station can remotely answer the telephone located in the fire station.

Another object of this invention is to provide ra telephone operable fire alarm assembly for operation by any one of a group of volunteer firemen from any telephone of a local telephone system.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a fire alarm assembly in which the fire alarm can not be sounded accidentally or by pranksters or by anyone other than one of the firemen.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fire alarm assembly in which a signal which is audible anywhere in the locality of a fire station is used to indicate that someone is calling to report a fire and in which a different audible signal is used to call the firemen to a fire.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fire alarm system for use by members of a volunteer fire department which system does not need to be changed when the volunteer firemen move or are replaced.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a fire alarm assembly which can be used in association with any telephone system.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof, the method of manufacture, and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

The drawing shows a schematic wiring diagram of a fire alarm assembly of this invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a portion of the equipment of the re alarm Iassembly of this invention is shown located at a telephone company switch board to which numerous other subscriber lines of the telephone system are connected. Another portion of the fire alarm assembly is shown located at a fire station. Shown connected to the switch board are terminals and I12 of a re reporting circuit. A pair of lines 14 and 16 extend from the terminals 10 and 12 to the fire station and are connected to any conventional telephone 18 located in the fire station.

Connected across the lines 14 and 16 within the fire station is an operating coil 26 of a relay CRl, A capacitor 28 is shown in series with the coil 26. This capacitor is to block out direct current to the coil 26 so that the coil 26 is energized only when ring current, which is alternating current flows. The relay CRI has a normally open contact CRI-A which is connected by leads 30 and 32 to a siren relay 34. The siren relay 34 is electrically connected to a siren 40 by means of leads 42.

The telephone 18 in the fire reporting circuit has a rice published telephone number to be called by anyone reporting a fire. However, due to the fact that the fire station is normally unattended, there is no one yat the station to answer the telephone 18.

Means are provided by which the telephone 18 can, in effect, be answered by any one of the firemen associated with the station and from any telephone in the community. Upon each impulse of ringing current in the fire reporting circuit, the coil 216 of the relay CR1 is energized and the contact CRI-A is closed. Upon each closing of the contact CRI-A, the siren 4t) is energized by means of the siren relay 34, energy for which is transmitted through power supply lines 44. Thus, the siren 40 is sounded in rather short blasts as a ring signal for the telephone 18 to be heard by the volunteer firemen who are working yand living at various places within the locality and community of the fire station.

An intercept circuit having lines 50 and 52 is shown as part of the telephone company switch board equipment. The telephone number of the intercept circuit is known only to the iiremen. 'This number is called by any one of the firemen who hears the telephone ring signal from the siren 40. Of course, any volunteer fireman can use any telephone associated with the telephone companys switch board to dial the intercept circuit. Therefore, a volunteer iireman, at any location in the community, can go immediately to the nearest telephone and dial the intercept circuit when he hears the siren 40 indicate that someone is calling the fire station on the fire reporting circuit.

The line 50 is connected to one end Vof a coil 54 of a repeater or audio transformer 56. The line 52 is connected to one end of a coil 58 of the repeater 56. Connected across the lines 50 and 52 is an operating coil 60 of a relay CRZ. A capacitor 61 is shown connected in series with the coil 60. The relay CRZ has a normallyclosed contact CR2-A and a normally-open contact CRZ-B. The CR2-B contact is connected in series with an operating coil 164 of a relay CR3 for energization thereof. Thus, when ringing current flows in the lines 50 and 52 the coil 60 is energized. Upon the first impulse of ring current in lines 50 and S2 the contacts CR2A open and the contacts CRZ-B close. The operating coil y64 is then connected across the lines 14 and 16 of the fire reporting circuit. When the coil 64 is energized the relay CR3 locks-up through its own normallyopen contacts CR3-A and closes contacts CR3-B and CR3-C which vare also part of the relay CR3. The coil 64 remains energized by ilowof direct current provided for audio purposes in the circuit as long as the fire reporting circuit isheld operated by the calling party.

The coil 60 of the relay CR2 becomes deenergized after the first ringing cycle in the intercept circuit. At this moment the contacts CRZ-B yare opened and a contact CRZ-A closes.

Due to the fact that the coil 64 of the relay CR3 is energized, the normally-open contacts CR3-B of the relay CR3 are closed. The contacts CK2-A and CR3-B are in series with the coils 54 and 58 of the repeater 56. Therefore, at the first moment when the contacts CRZ-A and CR3-B are simultaneously in closed position the coils 54 and 58 are connected across the lines 50 and 52 of the intercept circuit and ring current in the intercept circuit stops. Thus, it is understood that the contacts CRZ-A hold the intercept circuit open until the end of the first ringing cycle so that the relay CR3 is fully in operating position before the `audio circuit between the intercept circuit and the fire reporting circuit lis completed. In practice, the contacts CR2-A are Vadjusted to break before the contacts CRZ-Bv close. 'This provides positive action of the relay CR3.

A Due to the fact that only direct current for audio purposes liows in the circuit `after ring current stops, the capacitor 61 prevents energization of the coil 60 of the relay CRZ. Also, when `the contacts CR2-A and CRS-B are closed the repeater 56 is fully energized and there is `audio connection between the intercept circuit and the fire reporting circuit. Therefore, the fireman who has dialed the intercept circuit can talk directly with the person on the fire reporting circuit who has dialed the fire station to report a fire. While one reman is using the intercept circuit, another fireman dialing the intercept circuit Will obtain a busy signal and he will know that one of the other firemen is contacting the fire reporting circuit.

If a fireman who dials the intercept circuit hears more than two ring impulses on the intercept line, the fireman knows that the fire reporting circuit is not energized, and that the person who has called the fire reporting circuit is no longer on the line. The reason that continued ringing in the intercept circuit indicates that there is no one on the tire reporting circuit is that the relay. CRS cannot become energized and the intercept circuit cannot be connected to the fire reporting circuit unless the fire reporting circuit is energized.

It is to be noted that the relay CR3 also has a normally open contact CRS-C associated with a fire call circuit. The contact CRS-C is in `series with an operating coil 70 of a time switch 72. The operating coil 70 is energized from any suitable power supply lines 74 and 76. Thus, upon energization of the relay CRS, the contact CRS-C initiates operation of the time switch 72. The time switch 72 has contacts 78 and 80 which close when the coil 70 is energized or within ya few seconds thereafter. The time switch 72 may be of a motor operated type or may be of a thermal operated type, or of any other suitable type. The contact 78 is in series with the operating coil 70 and locks-up the coil 70 so that the time switch 72 continues to operate, even though the contacts CRS-C are subsequently opened. Thus, the time switch 72begins to operate immediately las `a fireman at any telephone dials the intercept circuit and becomes connected with the fire reporting circuit. The time switch 72 operates to keep the contacts 80 closed for a couple of minutes or so.

lf the fireman who has contacted the fire reporting circuit through the intercept circuit determines that there is a legitimate report of a fire, the fireman disconnects himself from the tire reporting circuit by terminating the call. The iireman then immediately dials another telephone number which is known only to the volunteer firemen -associated with the fire station. Dialing of this Asecond confidential telephone number puts the fireman in connection with a fire call circuit shown in the drawings as having lines 81 and 82.

The contact 80 of the timer switch 72 is connected in the line 82 of the tire call circuit so that the re call circuit can be used only when the time switch 72 is operating and maintaining contact 80 in closed position. Due to the fact that the time switch 72 operates for about a couple of minutes or so after the fireman becomes connected with the fire reporting circuit, the fireman has ample time to disconnect himself from the intercept circuit and to dial the fire call circuit and make use thereof while the time switch 72 is still operating. Thus, when the fireman dials the fire call circuit the contacts 80 thereof are closed so that the entire fire call circuit is energized and impulses of ring current fiow in the fire call circuit. The first impulse of ring current causes energization of an operating 4coil 84 of a relay CR4 connected'in the fire call circuit. Energization of the operating coil 84 causes yclosing of a normally open contact CR4-A of the relay CR4. Closing of the contact CR4-A connects Van operating coil 88 of a siren timer 90 to the power supply lines 44. The siren timer 90` has la contact 94 which operates to cause Va fire alarm signal to be sounded by the siren 40 through the siren relay 34. The siren timer 90 may be of any suitable type and causes the siren 40 to continue through a complete nre alarm of la given number of blasts even though the other circuitry is deenergized. When the fire alarm siren is sounded the firemen know that the siren has been energized by one of the voluntter firemen who has determined that there is a legitimate fire report,

If one of the firemen should be in the fire station when a call is received on the fire reporting circuit, the fireman may answer the telephone 1S which is located in the fire station. If the fireman determines by talking with the person who has called on the fire reporting circuit that a fire is in existence, the fireman directly energizes the siren 40 for ringing the fire alarm. He manually closes a switch 96 which is connected in parallel with the contacts CR4-A of the relay CR4. This causes operation of the siren relay 90, as discussed above.

Thus, it is understood that the re alarm assembly of this invention permits sounding of the fire alarm by any fireman from yany telephone in the community. The fire alarm assembly of this invention also prevents sounding of a fire alarm by anyone other than a fireman. Thus, the circuitry of this invention prevents sounding of the re alarm accidentally or by a prankster. If the fire reporting circuit is dialed accidentally or by a prankster, the only inconvenience caused is that a fireman must answer the fire reporting call by dialing the intercept circuit. The fireman who thus connects himself with the reporting circuit is usually able to readily determine whether there is a legitimate re report. If he determines that there is not a tire, the fireman does not proceed to dial the fire call circuit.

Even though the fire call circuit is not used, the time switch 72, which is started by energization of the relay CRS, operates through its given period and automatically becomes deenergized. The time switch 72 is usually adjusted to operate about 3 minutes and as discussed above, must be operating in order to obtain energization of the fire call circuit. Therefore, the fire call circuit must be dialed within this period in order to sound the fire alarm. Thus, calling of the fire call circuit at any time except during the 3 minute period does not cause sounding of the fire alarm.

The assembly of this invention can be used in association with a manually operated telephone system as well as with a dial system. Thus, it is readily understood that the assembly of this invention provides means by which an alarm of an unattended fire station may be operated by volunteer firemen Iat any place within the locality or community of the fire station. Also, it is readily understood that the re alarm assembly of this invention is fool-proof" against accidental calls or against calls by pranksters.

Although the preferred embodiment of the assembly has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the `combination thereof and mode of operation, lwhich generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

l. Fire alarm telephone circuitry comprising a fire reporting circuit, control means connected to said circuit and energizable upon ring impulses in the circuit, a siren connected to the control means for operation thereby, an intercept circuit, connector means connecting the intercept circuit to the fire reporting circuit, said connector means also including initiator means, a fire call circuit, time-operated circuit closing means connected in the fire call circuit, the initiator means being connected to said time-operated circuit closing means for initiation thereof with operation of the connector means, and means connecting the fire call circuit to the siren.

2. in combination, fire alarm apparatus and telephone circuitry, comprising la fire reporting circuit having ringing facilities, a siren connected to the ringing facilities so that the siren is energized with ring impulses in the fire reporting circuit, an intercept circuit, relay means connected to the intercept circuit and to the fire reporting circuit deenergizing the ringing facilities of the fire reporting circuit, audio transformer means, said relay means operably connecting said audio transformer means to the fire reporting circuit and to the intercept circuit and causing the ringing facilities of the fire reporting circuit to be deenergized, a fire call circuit, a time-operated switch in the fire call circuit, said relay means energizing said timeoperated switch, control means connected to the siren and to the tire call circuit operating the siren upon energization of the fire call circuit.

3. Telephone controlled fire alarm apparatus comprising fire reporting circuitry, siren means connected to the re reporting circuitry and operable upon'energization of the fire reporting circuitry, intercept circuitry, means connecting the intercept circuitry to the fire reporting circuitry upon -energization of the intercept circuitry, fire call circuitry, timer switch means connected to the fire call circuitry and operable to connect port-ions of the fire call circuitry one to the other, means operable by the intercept circuit for initiation of the timer switch means, and means connecting the siren means to the fire call circuitry for operation thereby.

4. In combination with a telephone system, alarm apparatus comprising signal means, a telephone fire reporting circuit having means for ring impulses, means connecting the signal means to the telephone lire reporting circuit for operation thereby during ring impulses in said fire reporting circuit, a telephone intercept circuit, a telephone re call circuit, timed circuit closing means connected to the telephone fire call circuit, means operable by energization of said intercept circuit connecting the intercept circuit to the fire reporting circuit, the last said means also being connected to said timed circuit closing means for operation thereof, and means connected to said re call circuit and to said signal means for operation of said signal means upon energization of said telephone fire call circuit.

5. In combination with telephone equipment, a fire alarm assembly for volunteer firemen associated with an unattended fire station comprising a re reporting circuit, a control relay connected to the fire reporting circuit, the control relay having a normally-open contact, a siren, a source of energy for energization of the siren, a siren relay connected to the siren and to said contact of the control relay, the fire reporting circuit having a source of ringing current, the control relay causing the contact thereof to close upon flow of ringing current in the fire reporting circuit, closing of the contact causing the siren relay to connect the siren to the source of energy, the control relay causing the contact to open when no ringing current is flowing in the fire reporting circuit so that the siren is energized simultaneously with impulses of ringing current in the fire reporting circuit, an intercept circuit, a repeater having leads partially connecting the intercept circuit to the fire reporting circuit, a first connector relay, the rst connector relay being connected to the intercept circuit, a second connector relay, the second connector relay being connected to the re reporting circuit, the first connector relay having a normally-open contact in the circuit of the second connector relay, the second connector relay having a normally-open seal-in contact in the circuit thereof, the first connector relay and the second connector relay having contacts connected in the leads of the repeater for completing the connection of the repeater to the intercept circuit and to the fire reporting circuit, a fire call circuit, a time switch having a normally-open contact in the fire call circuit, the time switch having a conductor circuit for connection to a source of energy, the second connector relay having a normally-open contact in said conductor circuit, an alarm relay connected to the fire call circuit and operable thereby, and means connecting the alarm relay tothe siren relay.`

6. An alarm assembly for volunteer firemen associated with an unattended re station and in combination with a telephone system having a main switch board comprising a telephone lire reporting circuit extending from the switch board to the fire station and having a telephone within the fire station, a siren located at the fire station, means connecting the siren to the fire reporting circuit so that the siren sounds upon each impulse of ringing current in the fire reporting circuit, an intercept circuit at the switch board, means connecting the intercept circuit tothe fire reporting circuit, a fire call circuit extending from the switch board to the fire station, a time switch connected to the fire call circuit closing a portion of the fire call circuit for a short period upon energization of the time switch, the last said means including means energizing the time switch, connector means within the fire station connecting the fire call circuit to the siren upon energization of the fire call circuit.

7. Fire alarm apparatus for a volunteer fire department of an unattended fire station comprising a fire call circuit, a siren, means connecting the siren to the re call circuit for operation of the siren upon energization of the re call circuit, a normally-open contact in the fire call circuit, a fire reporting circuit, means connecting the fire reporting circuit to the siren for operation thereof upon energization of the fire reporting circuit, an intercept circuit, means connecting the intercept circuit to the fire reporting circuit upon energization of the intercept circuit, the last said means including means for timed closing of said normally-open contact in the fire call circuit.

8. A fire alarmassembly comprising a telephone fire reporting circuit, a fire call circuit, a telephone intercept circuit, a siren, means connecting the fire call circuit and the fire reporting circuit to the siren for operation of the siren upon energization of the respective circuits, normally-open switch means connected in the re call circuit, automatic means for closing the switch means for a given period of time, and connector means connecting the intercept circuit to the fire reporting circuit, the connector means including means for energization of said automatic means.

9. Alarm apparatus for volunteer firemen associated with an unattended fire station comprising a first telephone communication circuit, signal means, means connecting the first telephone communication circuit with the signal means indicating flow of ring current in the first telephone communication circuit, a second telephone cornmunication circuit, means connected to the first and second telephone communication circuits connecting the first telephone communication circuit to the second telephone communication circuit upon energization of the second telephone communication circuit when the first telephone communication circuit is energized, a third telephone communication circuit, the third telephone communication circuit including time operated circuit closing means, means connected to the second telephone communication circuit energizing the time operated circuit closing means, and means connecting the third telephone communication circuit to the signal means upon energization of the third telephone communication circuit.

l0. In a telephone system, a rst telephone line having ringing facilities, a siren connected to said line for operation upon flow of ringing current in said telephone line, a second telephone line, a repeater partially connected between the first and second telephone lines, switching means connected to said telephone lines and operable upon energization thereof to complete the connection of the repeater to said telephone lines, a third telephone line, means connecting the third telephone line to the siren, and means connected to the third telephone circuit and energizable by said switching means closing a portion of the third telephone circuit for a given period of time.

l1. An alarm assembly for volunteer firemen comprising telephone circuitry, a siren, the telephone circuitry including a telephone circuit for reporting a lire, said circuit 7 8 having ringing facilities, means connecting the circuit t0 open telephone call circuit for a given period of time, and the Siren for energization 0f the Siren upon fIOW of ring means responsive to energization of the telephone nre call current in said circuit, a telephone circuit for intercepting u i circuit for energization of said siren. a call on the ist said telephone clrcuit, means responsive to encrgization of both of said telephone circuits for 5 References Cited in the le of this patent connecting sald C11-cuits one to the other for two-way com- UNITED STATES PATENTS mumcation therebetween, a normally-open telephone fire call circuit, means operable in response to energizration 2,065,642 Bradford Dec. 29, 1936 of the first two telephone circuits for closing said normally- 2,898,405 Eck Aug. 4, 1959 

